Fibers on Friday

Starting a new one; Fibers on Friday! Don't you love how compartmentalized my life is? Can you imagine being married to me? It's Meatless Monday, dear. Wait! It's Wordless Wednesday, honey. Hold on! It's Fibers on Friday time!

So, it's that time of year again that I'm ready to pick up my knitting needles and tackle a project that's been neglected over the warmer months. My mom just gave me a book called Knitting for Good, so I'm inspired to do just that! The book refers to a project called Afghans for Afghans in which handmade projects such as knitted or crocheted sweaters, blankets, mittens, and hats are sent to Afghanistan. Well, I'm diving in! And I'm trying to get my knitting circle to do the same.

My first project for the cause will be a sweater! GULP! I've yet to make a sweater, so here goes!

This is what I'm attempting:


And here's the wool I've chosen:


I'll be keeping you posted on the progress on my newly created Fibers on Friday! Join me if you'd like!

Wordless Wednesday : Just Say No

Visit 5 Minutes for Mom for more WW Contributions.

Meatless Monday! Three Cheese [F]icken Penne

It's Meatless Monday time again! This is a special recipe. My cousin made this while we were away for a family memorial in North Carolina. It's Three Cheese Chicken Florentine adapted from Cooking Light Magazine. When she made it, she used Morningstar Chicken Strips and I thought it was delicious. I've made it several times since and find I really don't like the fake chicken product, but this recipe is delicious even omitting the meat all together.

I love food because one dish can bring me back to an event or an occasion or a loved one.....over and over again! So, this dish will always remind me of that fabulous reunion weekend spent celebrating Aunt Linda.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Cooking spray
• 3 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 3 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (16-ounce) carton 2% low-fat cottage cheese
• 4 cups hot cooked penne (about 8 ounces uncooked tube-shaped pasta)
• 2 cups shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast (keep it meatless by using a fake chicken product or keep it out entirely)
  
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach, oregano, and black pepper; sauté 3 minutes or just until spinach wilts.

Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until very smooth. Combine spinach mixture, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, milk, and soup in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

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If you'd like to read more about the Meatless Monday movement, visit Meatless Monday.com

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wordless Wednesdays, visit 5 Minutes for Mom

Our Scrap Weekend

What a lovely time we had up in Nort' Jersey! A very productive scrap weekend with four girlies!

It wasn't like last year's drive up to the Poconos, but here's the nice fall foliage that greeted me at the hotel.





















A few shots of our workspace with all the essentials!





Me and Steph!












The hotel left a lot to be desired. The food was horrendous! On the last morning we were to be served brunch. The buffet table had french toast and eggs and breakfast meat. The problem, however, is that the syrup was boiling! To the point of caramelization! It was not edible! So what did the staff decide to do? Replace the French toast with Salmon from the night before! It was comical.

On the first day the fire alarms were set off, so we were evacuated! It was so scary to think that if the sprinkler system was set off what would happen to our tools and supplies??? It was all good, though.

So there you have it, our scrappy little weekend. We're planning on making our own little getaway at a shore house this winter....which is making us all very excited for another getaway!

Meatless Monday! Sesame Noodles

Hi all! This recipe is from Pioneer Woman. It's superb.

I cannot, for the life of me, get good Chinese food in my neck of the woods. When I saw this recipe on her site, I knew I had to give it a try. I'm so glad I did, because it will be my go-to Chinese food from now on!

Simple Sesame Noodles (copied from PW)

12 ounces thin noodles, cooked and drained (angel hair, thin spaghetti, or Asian style)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons pure sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon hot chile oil (more to taste)
4 to 5 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons hot water
3 to 4 green onions, sliced thin

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and green onions) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.
Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with green onions and toss.

(I used Asian Ramen-type noodles)

****Of course, if you want beautiful illustrations and tons of pictures of the preparation of this dish, visit Pioneer Woman's site!

If you'd like more ideas on making a meatless dish one night a week, visit Meatless Monday!

Wordless Wednesday: Pumpkin Picking Past

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